Cathy – Page 81

Valley Foods Mediterranean Market- lunch in the store

November 22, 2011 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

See other posts about Valley Foods here and here.

The mmm-yoso!!! gang (Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy) all are busy finalizing details for Thanksgiving Day, while tying loose ends at work and making plans for seeing family and friends for days of meals, thanks and visiting in just a few days. Cathy has a short post.

Hi. The Mister and I have been busy planning some meals we are going to share this week and dropped in to Valley Foods, a Mediterranean Market, twice in the past week to grab a quick lunch (and some fresh flat bread, sammoon bread, kebabs, chicken, canned fava beans, chickpeas, fruits and vegetables). Here are some photos.

Falafel Plate ($6) Fresh made fluffy falafels, served with pita and pickles and fresh hummus, tabouleh and pickled mango sauce. I always buy the falafel here.

Schawarma Cheesesteak ($4.99). Yes. The beef schawarma is heated on the grill with onion and green pepper and cheese. It really tastes good this way, with the schawarma seasonings. This was unexpectedly wonderful.

.Here is a cross section view of the fresh falafel, so fluffy and delicately crisp. It's a meal or an appetizer (or a snack if there are leftovers to take home).

The other day we decided to get the kebab sandwich($4.49) and some polo rice($2.49)- there was about a pound of saffron rice topped with sliced almonds and raisins in one *large* styrofoam box, which we ate with both the properly seasoned, juicy, grilled kebab sandwich made with the fresh house made sammoon bread which was topped with onions and sumac. (and we had leftover rice for breakfast the next day)

This is the Schawarma chicken platter ($7.95) Pita, tahini, hummus, pickled turnip, shredded lettuce, red bell pepper slices and a huge portion of fresh hot chicken schawarma. A meal for two or two meals for me.

There is a fountain serving pomegranate juice and other beverages at the register, but sometimes I don't want sweet, and after Kirk mentioning ayran, a yogurt drink he enjoyed on his vacation adventure in Greece and Turkey this year, I was curious as to what that flavor point was and began drinking (and craving and eventually making my own) ayran this past summer . Buying 'Yogurt Drink' sold here is very similar- salty and sort of watered down yogurt. The mint flavor is not predominant in this brand (and the blue bottle by the same company is labeled as ayran) and these beverages are found inside the store- we have been trying something new with each meal we eat here. I do think the salty yogurt drink is complimentary to the foods we get here.

Now, more planning for Thanksgiving!

Valley Foods 1275 East Main Street El Cajon, CA 92021 (619)749-8355 Website

Fish Boutique. It is-A boutique, selling and serving fish.

November 3, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, European Restaurants, Seafood

Fish Boutique has closed

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Writers of this blog include Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy, among others. The guys are both busy with jobs and such. Cathy has time to blog.

Boutique- a French word for "shop", a Greek word for "storehouse". Usually associated with clothing or such, but since I am literal, those definitions make perfect sense for a place which sells and stores fish, with the bonus of serving meals…'Bistro' is so overused. When I saw the "Fish Boutique" in the Trader Joe's mall in Mira Mesa (just next to Stone Flats) one morning when we were going to 'just get milk' (the euphemism we use when we know we will be spending at least $20)…

I knew I needed to walk up to see what I could see:

A menu on the door. Not inexpensive, not overly extensive, but descriptive and tasty to my brain.

A fish counter…actually two- there is another one to the right, with a take out menu above it. Apparently they serve and sell wine.

A relatively small, un-fussy, bistro-like eating area. The fish counter area is to the right, at the other doorway.

I later learned the owner calls the food here "European modern" and that is an accurate description.

The two areas are separated by the black beaded curtain-you can see the other fish counter in this photo.

We wanted to try 'basics' on our first visit. Fish and chips ($9.50). The fish was flaky, very fresh cod, breaded in a crispy, panko/bread crumb batter (not beer batter) and served with house made smoked ketchup, cocktail sauce, lemony tartar sauce and pepper seasoned shoestring fries. An unusually high end preparation for a more or less 'common' entree. We really enjoyed this.

I ordered the sauteed shrimp sandwich($9.50)- served on a ciabatta roll.

Yes. Six very large, fresh sauteed butterflied shrimp, served on the soft yet hearty roll, topped with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar…and underneath those shrimp- thick pecan smoked bacon slices and mixed lettuces. This was heaven. I took bite with the bread, but ate the rest as a sort of salad meal. It was that good.

Of course, after coming home, we found a two for one coupon and I went back and ordered from the take out area.

Two slices of the crabmeat-spinach quiche. ($4…would be $4 each without the coupon; worth the $4 each price)

This was made of hand picked (none of that pasturized, canned stuff here) crabmeat- both King and Snow Crabs are used. The crust, as you can see, is hand made. The quiche was excellent-filled with crabmeat, spinach and a delightful custard-cheese (and nutmeg?) base. I served one half piece to each of us as a side with a steak meal at home. It could have been a meal in itself. We had to split the other piece for breakfast the next morning and I wanted more…

The fresh fish prices are good, considering the fish is fresh daily…and daily add-on a piece of cooked fish to a salad prices are posted on the door (skate was $6 the other day). As I said, not inexpensive but very much worth it. The chef, the waiters, everyone working here are very knowledgeable and helpful. Excellent European Modern food in an unexpected location.

Fish Boutique 9844 Hibert Street San Diego 92131 (858) 481-0505

Asia Cafe- As good as ever

October 26, 2011 Cathy Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chinese Restaurants, Lao Restaurants, Thai Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping in to look at mmm-yoso!!!, our food blog. Kirk is not blogging today, nor is ed(from Yuma). Cathy is sharing another meal she has enjoyed.

The first time I went to Asia Cafe, I met up with ed (from Yuma), who drove to San Diego for a visit. It was as wonderful as Kirk had described in his three posts in 2006 and I immediately understood why ed(from Yuma) would drive in (from Yuma) and make Asia Cafe one of his first stops here. Asia Cafe became part of the 'rotation' for me and The Mister. I realized the other day that that part of our rotation had somehow fallen away, probably because the wonderment which is Lao-Thai food showed up walking distance from our home in Santee, in the form of Sab-E-Lee.

Located in the corner of a small mall anchored by a Laundromat, on Market Street and 47th, Asia Cafe is easy to miss or just overlook; There's a car repair shop in the middle of that mall. However, business has always been booming, either

with most of the six tables with 28 chairs filled, or just with people picking up phoned in orders.

The menu, written in Thai and English, is only 3 pages long, has sections including Pho, Com and Bun as well as stir fried meats and fried rice dishes right next to a section of larbs, Lao-noodles, soups and curry dishes. I must say that each item I have had here is very well prepared and tasty.

So, we started this visit with deep fried spring rolls- (6 for $3.75). These were filled with pork, vegetables and clear noodles and did not have an excess of spring roll dough and were fried perfectly. Served with lettuce leaves, mint and cilantro-which complimented the Lao sweet and spicy sauce (fish sauce with a kick), these are better than average. I don't think any place else serves cilantro with fried spring rolls and the flavors seem so right together.

The other two dishes we ordered, both of which I craved, were (top part of photo) the Crying Tiger ($5.50). Beef larb, basically with at first a heat/spice level you may not have expected…but at some point the lemongrass, lemon juice, onions and fine powdery rice coating on the meat becomes so satisfying and you realize that you can taste all the flavors. This is addicting.

The bottom dish in the photo is chicken cashew nut ($5.50) A simple version of stir fried chicken, onions, straw mushrooms, scallions and cashews. The sauce is a bit sweet, but needs to be in this dish. Steamed rice is $1.50 and sticky rice is $2. One order is enough to share.

I'm so glad that Asia Cafe is still here and that the food, prices, owners and even the interior is unchanged. I do like consistency.

Asia Cafe 4710 Market Street San Diego 92102 (619) 527-1917

Closed Tuesdays. Open 10:30-6:30 M-W-Th-F, 11:00-6:30 S-S

Mariscos Monday! – Negro Durazo – a revisit

October 24, 2011 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog and sometimes Kirk writes, sometimes ed(from Yuma) writes and sometimes Cathy writes here. Today, Cathy is writing.

Background of this post: The Mister and I were born seven days apart. This year, those days were on a Monday. He gets to choose what he wants to eat the first three days, we have to agree on what to eat the middle two days and then I get the last three days. No discussion, just a statement of what or where and for which meal. This year, we each chose Negro Durazo- for three meals. Because we really like it here.

Yes, I wrote about Negro Durazo earlier this year. Great mariscos in Lemon Grove, right off the 94 freeway. It's convenient for us when we are out that way and the food is really good.

Here is a close up of some of the outside signage.

Standard of what is brought out to the table before ordering: fresh salsa, fresh chips and cut limes.

The interior here is quite large, has menu specials displayed along the walls, has televisions and music and can get very loud at dinnertime and on weekends.

Standard tabletop condiments include an array of hot sauces, tostadas in packages and saltine crackers.

As with Mexican seafood (even mariscos trucks) your meal is preceded with a cup of seafood broth.

The Mister ordered the whole charbroiled fish ($10.95). It is a white bass (not tilapia, which is fried), cut in half, seasoned mildly and charbroiled, served with the salad. The fish is fresh, moist, flaky, smokey (in a good way) and extremely good.

I ordered the Negro Durazo tostada($6.95)…piled high on this salad plate.

Really- a lot of seafood. Raw shrimp (sliced in half), octopus, squid and cooked shrimp – marinated and cooked fresh in lime juice and mixed with tomato, cilantro and onion. So fresh and so good on a hot day.

We went back, in the same week, and ordered essentially the same items- the whole charbroiled bass (better photo)(there is a head, cut perfectly in half under the salad)…just as good…so fresh and quite large.

and the Negro Durazo coctele ($13.95)

Octopus, squid and shrimp in this… more (a lot more) seafood than on the tostada…and in a lime-ketchup(by that I mean sweet)-spicy sauce, which also had cucumber (and no onions) along with the tomatoes, cilantro and avocado. A little different and also very refreshing…excellent birthday meals.

I did say three visits during our birthday week. As you can see, there is a breakfast menu at the front door. I'll save that post for later.

Negro Durazo 6954 Federal (at Broadway and the 94) Lemon Grove 91945 (619)240-7148

Website

El Faro- Mariscos (Sherman Heights/Logan Heights)

October 19, 2011 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

El Faro has closed.

Welcome back the the blog called mmm-yoso!!! Today, Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are researching places so they can write posts. Cathy is finished researching and this is the rough draft.

Hi. The other day, The Mister and I were (yes, again) taking a little "stay-cation" in San Diego, Balboa Park, to be precise. Here is the Sculpture Garden, near the Old Globe Theater.

The parking lot near the Aerospace Museum was pretty crowded, as were the restaurants in the park, so after about two miles, we drove on the side streets looking for a place to have lunch.

Somehow, we got to Imperial Avenue -looking for the Farmers Market Building (it's for sale)- and a block later we saw street signs welcoming us to both Sherman and Logan Heights…and then saw the word "Family" on this building. I stopped and parked.

El Faro, Spanish for "the lighthouse" . Of course, they serve seafood. Thing is, we saw a mariscos truck and a small mariscos restaurant on the same block…never considered this part of town to have mariscos. But what do we know…
Lunch Specials…

and for future reference, Happy Hour. We walked in.

Five booths, seven tables and the kitchen in the middle. Like eating in Mexico. I asked and found out these owners have been here 13 years, and before they bought this place, it was a seafood restaurant.

Lime wedges, fresh (light and very good) corn chips and a mildly hot salsa were brought to the table (after ordering, a group of appropriate hot sauces were brought out, however, I used this salsa for everything- no vinegar or sugar and a good heat to it).
We decided to try a fish ceviche tostada ($2.25) as an appetizer. Really, really nice. The fish was fresh, flaky, tasty and the lime juice, tomatoes, onion and cilantro were complimentary and not overwhelming. The tostada was placed on top of lettuce and that cucumber slice, so it didn't get soggy.

The Mister's meal came with this large cup filled with a seafood soup. Excellent, fresh, very nice amount of seafood in the not too tomato flavored broth (it was more of a seafood stock base) .
After a long discussion with myself, I had decided on the camarones (shrimp) salad because of the description. Plain (home made) mayonnaise was the dressing and it complimented the very large (in size and number-24) shrimp. Lettuce, shredded carrot and chopped cucumber were the only salad ingredients. The topping of avocado, two slices of cucumber and the tomato added enough variety so that I could enjoy those shrimp in the dressing. This was filling, refreshing and worth the lunch price ($8.95).
The Mister's Pescado Entero ($8.95). A whole fried tilapia. Very fresh, firm fleshed, not muddy, fried perfectly (I ate the fins; so crispy).

The Mister ate just about everything else…

El Faro Family Restaurant 2249 Imperial Avenue San Diego 92102 (619)2311388

Saigon- a great meal

October 11, 2011 Cathy Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk is working a lot lately and so is ed (from Yuma). Neither of them has had time to write, much less read about food. Today, Cathy is filing a post so you'll have something to read.

Hi again. The other day, once again, I started driving with no purpose other than to find lunch. The Mister was along for the ride, not knowing where to go nor giving me suggestions except an occasional "well, you found more road construction" and- "turn here, I haven't been in this neighborhood for a while". Soon we were on El Cajon Boulevard and

the parking lot at Saigon was not crowded, so we stopped. We have been here many times and always have enjoyed it, but it stopped being a deliberate destination for one reason or another.

People were occupying the smaller tables, and we sat at one of the 7 chair tables with the Lazy Susan in the center. That century-old kitchen gadget would prove to be quite helpful with our three item order which we intended to share. Whenever we sit at a table with more than two chairs, I tend to move around and eat from a plate at every chair.

The item which we ordered before even looking at the menu- Banh xeo– usually takes a while to prepare. ($6.50) The delicate turmeric flavored fried crepe/pancake is cooked fresh and filled with
sprouts, green onion, pork and shrimp. It is served with lettuce leaves and fresh mint for wrapping the pieces you break off and whatever you stuff inside..and the usual dipping sauce, nuoc mam (fish sauce).

Yes. I took three photos. We should have just ordered two bahn xeo and been done with it.It was so good and filling.
The Mister ordered a small bowl of pho with thin sliced rare beef and flank ($5.25). The aromatics from the broth were wafting toward me -the anise stood out and the flavor was deep and rich. This pho would be great on a chilly day. Very tasty and filling. You can see the plate of add-ins behind the bowl- basil, sprouts and the unseen jalapeños and a lime wedge. The noodles were not clumpy and this also was an excellent meal by itself.
However, I wanted fish. The menu description "Catfish and rice $7.95" seemed to be what I wanted (no mention of hotpot). This came to the table sizzling and bubbling over the cast iron pot.

After a long while, the pot settled down. It was filled with catfish in a sweet-garlic-black pepper sauce. (A good sweet that a brown sauce has, not overly crazy yukky sweet.) Just catfish, sauce and those green onion fronds. It was exquisite and wonderful with tender, flaky, not muddy but very fresh tasting fish (some bones and some really good skin) that stayed hot the whole meal.

Glad we stopped here and refreshed our memory of why we used to return here over and over. We need to go through the menu… there are over 100 items.

Saigon 4455 El Cajon Boulevard (across from Hoover High School) San Diego 92115 (619) 284-4215

Sammoon-Mediterranean Cuisine (El Cajon)

October 10, 2011 Cathy Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Sammoon is closed

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy mostly contribute and post/blog about places and foods they have had as a meal. Cathy is posting/blogging today.

Hi. If you've ever had Jury Duty in El Cajon (there are four court houses where Jurors perform their Civic Duty in this large County), you may have wandered out looking for a snack or lunch on one of your breaks. Or you will. Just across Magnolia is the Panda Express and the newly opened Sammoon. This is a view from the parking lot and not from the courthouse…it is close to where Magnolia intersects with Broadway, where the Starbucks and soon to be El Cajon Brewing Company (which would be a far more interesting lunch during a court case) is located…just a bit more North in that same block/parking lot.

There is a menu posted outside…

As well as above the cash register where you order. You can see the spits of chicken and beef schawarma.

The inside is neat and clean and quite large(this location used to be a Red Brick Pizza franchise-see the oven all the way against the wall to the center/left?) (there is an area selling frozen foods(kubbas, potato chop, borak, cheese and beef pies) and bakery items (baklava-pistachio and walnut, and klecha-pistachio, walnut and date) as well as the sandwich rolls (Sammoons, 3 for$1)at the front, next to the cash register and also where this photo doesn't take you.

The Mister ordered the $4.99 special- a beef schawarma sandwich with a salad (cabbage with some fennel 'feathers' and parsley and a light dressing), pickles and a beverage (the sandwich alone is $4.49). The bread, baked here, is excellent-soft thin crusted, a nice chewy interior. Kind of a big pita. The schawarma is completely wonderful- tender, flavorful beef, cut thin. The sandwich was filled with fresh vegetables (tomato, cucumber, onion, parsley, a fresh yogurt based sauce and a sprinkle of some sumac). This was a substantial sandwich.

I ordered the chicken schawarma salad ($6.99). There is even *more* meat on the salad than in the sandwich. Plus cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and olives. The plate is pretty deep and there was also a lot of lettuce. The $2 extra was well worth it. The chicken schawarma was also very flavorful, moist, tender. Seriously good. (It was served with a very tasty house made dressing, olive oil based and very herb-y).

The Mister also decided to order some falafel (49¢ each) and they were fresh made with the chickpea mix having the texture of a really good hushpuppy-airy and fluffy- and served with fresh tahini (sesame seed sauce (on the right)) and a tart-sweet mango pickle sauce (on the left). Light, fluffy, perfectly crisp and not oily. I've gotten pretty picky- and have cravings for good falafel and these are in my top five.

We decided to wait for next time to try a dessert.

Sammoon Bakery & Restaurant Mediterranean Cuisine 190 N. Magnolia El Cajon 92020 (619)441-2823

Sun-Thurs, 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat, 10am-midnight

25 Forty Bistro and Bakehouse. Great Food In Old Town.

October 1, 2011 Cathy European Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

25Forty has closed and will be missed. It's said they will be relocating.

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Thanks for dropping by. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) and Cathy share bloggings of food they have enjoyed . Today, Cathy is blogging.

Hi again. This blog post is about a French Bistro located in Old Town- an excellent place for food in an unexpected setting. The Mister and I are enjoying finding different places to take our daily walks and the other day, we decided Old Town would be some place different. We haven't been here for an ocean of time and it's kind of the same, yet different in that a lot of the buildings have been fixed up and are (free admission) museums where the public can experience the history of life in San Diego. It is one of many State Parks in our County.

Just East, beyond the official 'edge' of the Park is Immaculate Conception Church, which allows tourists to enter and look around. It is on the corner of San Diego Avenue and Twigg Street. We walked one block South, to Congress Street, and started walking East.

We saw this lovely house, converted into a Bistro and Bakehouse, at 2540 Congress Street. Then I remembered: Mr. & Mrs. P, good friends, had told me about how much they liked eating here -in March of this year. Well, we finally got around to remembering to stop by; should have dropped in here sooner.

The interior is decorated in a clean, black and white color palette with white butcher paper covering the tablecloth and crayons in the jars on each table, so you can add some color if you'd like. There are more tables on the front and side patios. Those are all cookbooks stacked on the shelf above the bar. Specials are written on the chalkboard painted wall…

In typical bistro fashion, cold water was brought to the table in a chilled bottle and glasses filled with ice accompanied while we looked at the simple menu of a daily soup, two salads, pasta, sandwiches and late breakfasts.

I ordered the Steak Salad ($8). Thin sliced, still warm tender fillet, cooked medium rare with thin sliced tomato on top of mixed greens, perfectly dressed with a nice balsamic vinaigrette. This was huge, tasty and so very fresh.

The Mister ordered a tuna melt sandwich ($8) which came with the mixed green salad. The bread- oh my. A fresh baked baguette with a crispy crust, chewy insides, topped with an excellent version of tuna salad, which had finely finely diced onion and carrot in it, I think maybe a touch of tarragon, seasoned to perfection (there is no salt or pepper on the tables and there does not need to be). The Mister asked for Swiss cheese instead of the Pepper Jack that was on the menu. This was excellent and quite large.

Because we felt like it, we asked for a dessert- There was an array of fresh pastries on the counter and the choice was overwhelming, plus I didn't really want a sweet pastry. We decided to try the small cheese tray ($7), which seemed 'healthy' and more of a French Bistro-type dessert… A fairly large piece of Cambozola cheese as well as a good size piece of Gouda, accompanied by walnuts and dried apricots and that sauce- a house made raspberry, heavenly sauce.

It came with the fresh baked baguette loaf and butter…and we ordered a small French Press coffee ($3).

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

We went back the next week. It was so good.

Forgive these photos, my cameraphone should have been on flash…

We ordered the house made lentil soup ($4). This was excellent, made with (I think) a chicken based stock and filled with a variety of lentils, finely diced onions and carrot and celery and in deceptively large container.

The Mister ordered a Croque-madame ($8).

A Croque-madame is a Croque-monsieur with a hat…an explanation I was told a long time ago. I suppose that goes in line with women wearing a hat in church and men not wearing a hat there. In any case, I go with it.

The Croque- a crunchy bread (grilled) is filled with (thinly sliced) Black Forest ham and cheese, topped with a wonderful, creamy, velvet-y Bechamel sauce and then topped again with a fried egg (the 'hat' that a monsieur does not have) and sprinkled with a fine layer of Parmesan. A 'fast food' snack served in cafes and bistros in France, the croque is a fancy food to us… and the version here – the fresh baked, thick sliced bread, the wondrous sauce, the crunch, the egg (which had a glorious orange yolk) and the very flavorful ham was excellent.

I was in the mood for a late breakfast (there is a brunch served here on weekends, no breakfast during the week) and ordered a cheese omelet($7). Instead of the 'regular' side salad, I asked if I could try the only other salad on the menu- a kale salad. I was curious about a salad made of raw kale. It is wonderful. Finely chopped kale marinated in a balsamic, oil and soy and mixed with sweetened cashews and raisins…a flavor combination I would not have considered…and now a craving for me.

The cheese omelet- perfect- like French toast- fluffy inside and crispy crust, the freshly ground black pepper complimented the egg. The cheese was three- Swiss, Cheddar and Cambozola. A very fancy cheese omelet.

It was time for dessert and we decided to not indulge in a pastry again. So we ordered the same as before…small cheese tray ($7) and small French Press($3). A perfect ending to a perfect meal.

We very much have enjoyed the ambiance, people working and quality of all the food we have tried here so far. We do look forward to going through the menu. 2540 is not a tourist trap; it is a wonderful restaurant which happens to be located on the edge of Old Town, about two blocks from the Trolley and is very much worth the stop.

25Forty Bistro and Bakehouse 2540 Congress Street San Diego 92110 (619)294-2540 (Closed Mondays) Website

Santee’s Pizza

September 29, 2011 Cathy Pizza, What Cathy Eats!

Santee's Pizza has closed. It will be missed.

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. For the most part, Kirk , ed(from Yuma) and Cathy share what they ate with you, the Reader of this blog. Today, Kirk is busy, as is ed, so Cathy is blogging.

Hello again. The other day, The Mister and I kept our "staycation" (and daily walk) close to home, at the Santee Lakes, a 194 acre preserve which is completely sustainable, with five miles of walking trails, and a campground which has a 300 hook up campsite as well as cabins you can rent and has identified 178 species of birds in the preserve area. There are six playgound areas, many picnic tables, grills and areas which can be reserved for larger parties and has paddleboats to rent. They sell permits for fishing (most places make you purchase a State permit to fish). The South end of the Lakes houses the Padre Dam Water District offices, where I can walk in and pay my water bill every two months.

As you can see, it was a beautiful, perfectly clear morning.

After a walk around five of the seven main lakes, we went to the Santee Library (three blocks from the South end of the Lakes, where we had parked in lieu of paying admission to drive a vehicle into the Lakes) and decided to try the "new" Pizza place in the same mall.

Simply named, and one of eight places where we can get pizza in this small city in East San Diego County, we were not expecting much and ordered "any two slices and a drink" for $5.50, also ordering one extra slice of just cheese pizza for $2. We took it all home.

This is a slice of White Pie: a no sauce pie, topped with Mozzarella, Ricotta, garlic and Parmesan.

Here is a photo of the Cheese pie slice and the Hills Trio- topped with pepperoni, sausage and Canadian bacon.

These were good. Really good. We made it a point to return.

The owner recognized us as the ones who had ordered a slice of Cheese pie. He asked how we were doing, how we liked it , was very friendly and interested. That is a rarity these days. We asked to order a whole Cheese Pie. 18 inches, $12.50. Only one size. {There are five tables inside and two tables out front, but we took the pizza 'to go'.}

Bottom of pie. Perfectly baked.

THIN, THIN crust. The sauce is home made, very tomato-y, with oregano and just the slightest touch of heat from red pepper. It is perfect.

In addition to six other pies/topping combinations, the menu also includes a House garden salad ($3 or $5; this is the large) with a choice of dressings…

and calzones. The basic calzone (filled with Ricotta, Parmesan and Mozzarella) is $6.50. Additional toppings are $1. You can see the calzone is half the size of a pie (same size box). The sauce is the same basic sauce, which, again, has just the right amount of red pepper heat and the oregano is the only spice the tomato needs…

Here is maybe a better photo of the calzone- and its thin, thin delicate crust…and cheese fillings.

To me, this is the best pizza I have had outside of Naples. High quality, hand made, Santee's Pizza has very friendly people working and makes an excellent product. We are lucky to live here.

Santee's Pizza 9225 Carlton Hills Boulevard (same mall as the Santee Library, at the corner of Carlton Hills and Carlton Oaks) Santee 92071 (619) 749-9949 Website

End of Summer and a Crayfish Party Plate at Ikea

September 14, 2011 Cathy Chains, Festivals & Events, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is food blog based in San Diego County. Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy share blogging duty. Really, it's narratives about food we ate, eat and enjoy. Sometimes there's an explanation other than just being hungry. Today, Cathy is chronicling another one of her adventures.

Hi. The other day The Mister and I found ourselves in Mission Valley, at Ikea. Ikea is the Swedish furniture store that has a cafeteria in the midst of furniture displays and a small grocery, called the Swede Shop, at the exit. I've Posted about Ikea on two other occasions. We went to the Swede Shop looking for some snacks and noticed the advertising displays- all about the annual Crayfish Party, a Scandinavian celebration of the end of summer.

We could have purchased all the food and decorations for a party for $20…

The food consists of, naturally, kilo of crayfish (which are indeed crawfish, but in Scandinavia, the miniature lobsters are boiled in a dill based brine, instead of the cajun seasonings used for a crawfish boil)

some roe,

bread and cheese. (Sauce came frozen with the crayfish)

and always, gravad lox is part of any Swedish plate.

We decided to walk through the store first to get some exercise while looking at furniture and decor and buy the snack food on our way out. Then we saw this sign. We could get a whole party for $3.99!

So we stopped at the cafeteria.

I spied a whole plate of gravad lax (raw salmon cured with sugar, salt and dill) and took it from the cafeteria display. ($4.99)

We also saw lentil soup as the soup of the day. I always like it from here. ($1.99) It has a deep, rich flavor and is always thick with lentils. You can see my gravad lox plate had plenty of lox and a lot of spinach which I treated as salad. It came with a hot honey-mustard. Heat, but not from chilis…Scandanavian spice…

The Crayfish Party! six cooked crayfish (served cold), small shrimp, crisp bread and cheese, roe, gravad lox on a bed of spinach. That's a half hard boiled egg topped with a mayonnaise in the center. You can see the spices/flavor enhancers for Scandinavians consist mainly of dill and lemon. Simple food. This was a satisfying and celebratory meal for $3.99. Very fancy and very nice.
The Mister is very good at opening crayfish…

We bought all the ingredients as we exited so we could have our own party at home. Easy and good.

Yes, it is almost the end of summer. Does anyone have any traditions for the change of seasons?

IKEA 2149 Fenton Parkway 92108 (619)834-1520